Friday, March 13, 2015

In
this day and age expertise is expected. We look to those who have been trained
in certain areas and expect them to step up to their specialty. If they don’t
do it well, then we are quick to criticize and challenge if they were really experts
in the first place.

Don’t
believe me? Ask yourself these questions right now. Do you think Jamie Garcia
can be the pitcher we expect? Will Rosenthal live up to his potential as
closer? Who will be the next president and how will he or she change the flaws
of the past? Is my tip at a restaurant based upon expertise? We all have these
expectations whether we know it or not. We live with them everyday.

I
love the Bible passage John 3:16.It is
held up on signs at sports events all across this nation, but so often its
context is missed. Jesus was talking to a
supposed “expert” in the subject of religious law – a Pharisee. Nicodemus was a
guy who knew all about the church, yet he had a hard time understanding the
true concept of faith. Granted, faith is based on some unexplainable truths,
but don’t we expect the “expert” to get it? Yet Nicodemus is puzzled by Jesus’ words. What
does it mean to be born again with water and the spirit, and how is someone
transformed through this?

Two
weeks in a row we celebrate baptism at Mt. Calvary. Baby Cora will be up there
with me this week. We, as a body of Christ, will get to marvel again at the
mystery of baptism. Just like last week, we realize the world can see this as
folly. Is it different when it’s the “expert” who sees it as folly?

Confession
time. Guess who are the people I am most critical of? I am critical of pastors.
Honestly, I try to stay open-minded with pastors who have different views, but
the truth is, if I hear horrible theology I am overly critical. I feel
justified in being that way since Luther warned pastors that getting up and
preaching is a huge responsibility. It is not something to be taken lightly.

Keep
that in mind as we go back to Nicodemus. He was a guy who wrestled with his
mentors around him. His colleagues (the other Pharisees) taught one thing and
Jesus was teaching something totally different.What a tough spot to be in. If the “experts” in your life are misguiding
you, then how are you able to grasp the deeper understanding of what you need
to know? Unfortunately, sometimes “experts” just expect us to understand rather
than help us reach understanding. Growth is found in our questions, and Jesus
wants us to reach and understand the deeper pieces of His life.

My
son, Jacob, is full of questions. Just the other day he said, “You expect me to
learn a lot.” Well the truth is, “Yes I do!” And just as much as he is
learning, I am asking myself how I can be a better teacher. The famous passage
of John 3:16 was Jesus trying to help Nicodemus grasp the deepest teaching of
what He was about to do. It wasn’t some cliché. Nicodemus, the “expert,” didn’t
understand and Jesus was trying to help, wanting him to understand. Just think,
if he “got it,” how many others could be impacted? One reason I love this
passage is that it brings us back to Lent again, back to baptism, back to the
very truth we need to hear! This week we take time to look at an expert who is
being challenged and how Jesus was helping him grasp the truth of what He came
to do!

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Last
week I became aware of an unusual fight. It was a Facebook fight. Those who
don’t use Facebook may wonder how this happens. On Facebook, people post their
thoughts and then others can comment on them. Most of the time this works out
nicely, like when I posted a video of Abby blowing out her candles from her
birthday party last Sunday. It allowed people, like my family in Kansas City,
to see her. It was a cool thing. Sometimes though, when people post their
opinions and thoughts, they receive all kinds of feedback and remarks, good and
bad. For instance, there was a lot of remarking going on when Wainwright had to
come back to St. Louis to get his injury checked out, or when the Blues recently
made those trades. Many people like to share their opinions.

Now,
back to the unusual fight. This person posted that a number of people with Joy
FM stickers on their vehicles were driving poorly and not living up to what
they are proclaiming on the back of their cars. This sparked other comments about
Joy FM drivers (which happens quite often). Some of these comments, I must
admit, were a little intense and certainly judgmental. A devoted Christian
responded to one of the comments, making some pretty wicked attacks for the
world to see below this other person’s post. Since I know the story of both
these people, I can see why this happened. I am pretty sure both parties were
hurt. The fact that this happened publicly only made matters worse.

Now
before I give firepower to those who think Facebook is a bad thing, let me say
this. Our latest generation is willing to openly admit they have feelings and
opinions, which allows for great dialogue on some of our inner struggles.
Facebook is not a bad thing, but just like anything in life, it needs to be used
in the right context. A few weeks ago I posted a picture of a little bench that
was given to Mindy and I in memory of Maddy. Using Facebook for this was a
great way to communicate our love and thankfulness. Remember the birthday video
of Abby I mentioned earlier?Facebook
can be a great way to share special moments with family and friends far away.

I
have to admit that I see both sides of this unusual Facebook argument. Those
that struggle with faith and Christianity struggle with our hypocritical
nature. I know the person posting about Joy FM. That person has sent me texts
of care and concern recently. That person is fully aware that I am pastor and
loves me. That person has never made a remark concerning my faith and, quite
honestly, is supportive of me. I may not agree with the way this person handles
Facebook posting all the time, but I am sure that if I asked, there would be a
few things wrong with my actions as well. On the other hand, I see the motive of
the person who was defending the faith to the point of getting upset and
attacking.

As
Jacob gets older, he is discovering the things his dad cannot do. A few weeks
ago I shared that my mom saved a box of my art and I still can’t figure out
why. Regardless, when it comes to things Jacob wants to draw, he has learned
not to come to dad for help. He knows that dad will just create a mess out of
it. He also has learned that mom is better at helping him with homework. The
other day he had the audacity to This is never good. Yet I also realized that
this is my own fault.If he asks for
something that I know I don’t do well, I tell him, “I can’t do that. Wait for
Mom.” There also might be a tiny bit of worry that Mindy will judge me if I do
help him, but that is a subject for another time.

say, “Dad, there are a lot of things you can’t
do.” I was like, “What?” He listed them off like he had been keeping track. At
this point I realized my son is now aware of my weakness.

Honestly,
it is important to know our strengths and weaknesses because it helps us to
focus on the things we are good at. But I also believe that sometimes, just
like for me, it becomes an excuse. “I can’t do that. Wait for Mom.” In our
faith life, there are some things we openly admit that we don’t do well. While
there is a ton of truth to using our strengths to the glory of God, is there also
truth to God challenging our weaknesses? Are there things in your faith life that
you have just gotten accustom to saying, “I don’t do that?” Is it singing,
praying out loud, leading a bible study, or sharing your faith?

In
the lesson in Mark 8, Jesus had just admitted that He was going to the cross to
die and rise again.Peter was like,
Jesus you can’t do that. Peter was stopping the very mission of Jesus. Jesus
had to call Peter out in the toughest way possible – by calling him the devil. When
He said, “Get behind me Satan,” Jesus wasn’t being mean to Peter. He was
calling Peter out on thinking he knew the Lord’s overall plan. What does the
devil do? He tries to stop the plans of Jesus. That is what Peter was trying to
do as well.Now think about us.How do we limit the power of Jesus? How do we
stop God’s plan by suggesting what Jesus can or can’t do?

Literally,
the only thing I can draw is a tree. I was so proud of the tree I would
draw.It was tree that you’d find in
winter – no leaves but tons of branches. So saying I can’t do art is not
exactly true. Suppose I was talking to someone who spoke a different language
or was deaf. Would I stop and say, “Sorry. I can’t share the message of Jesus
with you because I can’t draw,” or would I remember the tree and trust that God
can use even my weakness for His mission.